I’ve moved for people and people have moved for me. Even with a middle seat I wouldn’t want to sit next to someone in ten middle with a 3 year old on their lap and/or getting up and down to check on the 3 year old in the other seat. How strange! But in terms of ticketing you do need to be pushy and stand right next to counter or the agents will forget about you.

Anonymous wrote:....Now, I think a lot of people assume that if someone is asking to change seats, it's because they chose not to pay the money for assigned seating, and are now just banking on the kindness of strangers. So the other passengers - who did pay, and assume you didn't - don't have any sympathy and feel you brought the situation on yourself.
Of course, that's not what happened to OP, but I'd bet a lot of the "I'd never move" people assume that's what happened.

Totally agree! And I know I'm guilty of assuming that. Fortunately I've never been asked directly to change seats or been on a flight where no one would change seats so a parent could sit next to their young child.

Anonymous wrote:I've noticed some of the airlines are like this in recent trips. It's really annoying. I do not want my child to sit by themselves if they are under 10. No way. If they are a teen, ok.
Next time, as the other passengers to see if you can switch with them. I can't believe no other people notice that a small kid is sitting alone! unbelievable.

We were on a recent flight a few months ago. There was a mother that had 3 teenage kids. Their seats were rearranged somehow. When the flight attendant asked, she pointed her party and of course I noticed they are all teens. Then, pointed at us...we sat in our normal assigned seat-had to pay EXTRA for to sit together. That mom basically had her teenage kids occupy the seats that were not assigned to them but she wanted to be close to them. Those teens didn't even have a disability of any type. Then, I see other parents with smaller kids having to divide up their family. Ridiculous.

Good grief. You need to loosen up a bit. My kid flew by herself when she was 9. What exactly to you think is the issue with a 9 yo sitting a few rows away from Mommy?

Anonymous wrote:It's a horrible thing for the airline to do, but you can't just sit by when you know this is a possibility. You return to the desk every X minutes until you know at least 2 of you are seated together. You stand at the podium and wait until at least one of you is seated with your child.

Yes, I would move for a child/other parent, but so many parents rely on this method for flying (not purchasing seats together) that you'll find less and less people willing to move.[i][u] Lesson learned, your child is fine, and hopefully you'll be able to make a different choice next time.

I think this is definitely part of the problem. Years ago, when pretty much everyone just got a seat assignment when they purchased tickets, and you didn't have to pay extra for everything, people assumed if you were split up from your young children it was because something had gone wrong, so they'd have more sympathy.

Now, I think a lot of people assume that if someone is asking to change seats, it's because they chose not to pay the money for assigned seating, and are now just banking on the kindness of strangers. So the other passengers - who did pay, and assume you didn't - don't have any sympathy and feel you brought the situation on yourself.
Of course, that's not what happened to OP, but I'd bet a lot of the "I'd never move" people assume that's what happened.

Which airline was this?? It's outrageous. And I cannot believe that a single adult on that plane would not switch seats with one of you.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am one of the PP who has had this happened to me and I am really surprised at the number of posters who also have this happen to them or the posters who say “I won’t move”

So for the people who refuse to move, what’s in it for you? Why on earth do you want to sit next to an unaccompanied child? Putting on headphones won’t make them invisible. They can cry, scream, throw up, throw things, hit you, kick you, talk to you, poke you, wet themselves, poop themselves, need help eating, claim you hit them, claim you touched them, the list could go on. Why won’t you move?

Only a child whose insane, paranoid parents had prepped them to say things like this would do that. Glad to see you're raising a sociopathic little liar.

+1000. What kind of monster did you birth? Seriously. I guarantee you that at least 80% of the people on that plane have had children and obviously didn’t see them as the threat you are describing. It’s a young child, not a Ebola ridden rapid raccoon. Geez.

I can only hope to god that that's not true, given the fact that no one moved. Unfathomable

Anonymous wrote:no effing way would this have worked.

She could have been surrounded by pervs showing and touching and Lord knows what else. I actually am having a hard time believing this is a true post as the airline would be liable if she were hurt.

So you think that all the PPs who said that this happened to them were making it up?

I agree that it's outrageous, but we will never get anything fixed for the future by being in denial about it and saying that it's so bad that it must not have happened.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am one of the PP who has had this happened to me and I am really surprised at the number of posters who also have this happen to them or the posters who say “I won’t move”

So for the people who refuse to move, what’s in it for you? Why on earth do you want to sit next to an unaccompanied child? Putting on headphones won’t make them invisible. They can cry, scream, throw up, throw things, hit you, kick you, talk to you, poke you, wet themselves, poop themselves, need help eating, claim you hit them, claim you touched them, the list could go on. Why won’t you move?

Only a child whose insane, paranoid parents had prepped them to say things like this would do that. Glad to see you're raising a sociopathic little liar.

+1000. What kind of monster did you birth? Seriously. I guarantee you that at least 80% of the people on that plane have had children and obviously didn’t see them as the threat you are describing. It’s a young child, not a Ebola ridden rapid raccoon. Geez.

What? You need to calm down. I don’t want the liability of sitting next to someone else’s kid with their parents sitting somewhere else, including having someone else’s kid make a false claim about me (that lady was mean, or that lady wouldn’t help me or that lady touched me). Where in god’s name did I say I was raising bad kids or that I thought all kids were bad. WTF PP? You sound like the kid of person who doesn’t move, so got it.

Yup. I said in the first page I wouldn’t move if I had paid for an aisle or window seat.

I've noticed some of the airlines are like this in recent trips. It's really annoying. I do not want my child to sit by themselves if they are under 10. No way. If they are a teen, ok.
Next time, as the other passengers to see if you can switch with them. I can't believe no other people notice that a small kid is sitting alone! unbelievable.

We were on a recent flight a few months ago. There was a mother that had 3 teenage kids. Their seats were rearranged somehow. When the flight attendant asked, she pointed her party and of course I noticed they are all teens. Then, pointed at us...we sat in our normal assigned seat-had to pay EXTRA for to sit together. That mom basically had her teenage kids occupy the seats that were not assigned to them but she wanted to be close to them. Those teens didn't even have a disability of any type. Then, I see other parents with smaller kids having to divide up their family. Ridiculous.